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Germany 23-05-2026

Germany 23-05-2026

A week ago the predicted weather would be hot and sunny so ideal to go after chub
in the area I called the plains.
Same stream I always fish but then in an open landscape.

My first stop was the feeder stream and then more specific the shallow wide
section above a weir as you could spot fish easily.
Alas, I spotted no fish whatsoever, maybe the chemical spill from last year
had wiped out more fish than I had expected.

Next I moved to the main stream and picked a spot stream upwards from a bridge that
usually held fish … but not today. 
However, under the bridge I spotted many rising fish.
With many mayflies around I tried a mayfly pattern first but despite the place being loaded
with chub the mayfly drifted unhindered downsteam.

When I changed to a nymph with an orange tag the hits came one after another.
I hooked a dozen of smaller sized chub until I got a bite of something bigger.
I had not seen the big fish but a cast close to the bank was apparently intercepted
by a big chub.
It took quite a while before I could coax that fish into a net, best fish so far this year.

With all the racket caused landing that big fish the rest of the school was now aware
of the danger and moved off.
I did the same and scouted an upstream section for miles fighting my way through high
grass in extreme high temperatures.

I spotted multiple big fish but only two were legit targets as they moved in the upper layer
of the water and maybe candidates to take a mayfly pattern from the surface.
Unfortunately on both occasions my backcast landed in the shrubs at the bank.

The heat in the meantime had got to much for me … I needed shade asap and at the 
nearest shading tree I dropped down for a break.
After depleting my last drinking way I called it a day and went to the pub to recuperate.

Germany 26-27-04-2026

Germany 26-27-04-2026

Fishing lately was pretty bad, could be the weather … a late start of the season or just to many
anglers since the syndicate issued fishing licenses through an online service provider.
One of my buddies (an accomplished fly fisherman) even managed to blank two times in a row.

On April 26th I scouted a section of the stream for the first time this year and could absolutely not
find any visible fish. The water table was very low but the usual deeper holes were void of fish.
The only thing I managed to catch was a small shiner on a nymph.

The next day we had an official holiday in the Netherlands so instead of visiting festivities 
celebrating the birthday of the king I went fishing.
This time on the stretch of a neighboring syndicate that did not issue licenses to strangers.
Alas again no fish to be seen, even in the deeper pools.

My luck turned when I noticed a shadow of a large fish in one deeper pool.
I could just make out the back of that fish and wondered if it was a carp.
Since it was very unlikely for that particular spot to hold any carp I presumed it was a trout.

The current in that pool was tricky, it was in a bend and for this stream quite deep.
A drift with an indicator prior to seeing this fish had yielded no takes at all so I had to try
something else.
Drifting a squirmy without an indicator seemed the way to go and that actually worked
as I felt the take of a big fish.

I fished with a light tippet and a barbless fly so the outcome of the battle was not sure.
Luckily there was a small legde of shallower water so I slid of the bank into the stream
to have a better angle to fight and land the fish.

After landing that fish I took a small break as it would be unlikely to catch anything else
that day with the current miserable fishing conditions.
Waited until the pub opened which was quite remarkable as in Germany Mondays are
usually resting days.
Was twice as lucky as the representative of the local distillery came by promoting some
new drinks so I had a tasting.

Germany 22-08-2026

Germany 22-08-2026

Early season but nice weather on this so out and about on the stream.
Foliage was slowly appearing, windflowers were starting to pop up and I spotted some cowslip starting to bloom.
Not much insect life yet and not much fish action either as the water was high and clear.

I spooked a trout but figured it could not have far so I probed the most likely hiding spot and got a hit.
Hooked the fish for a short time but it came off.
The second hit was from another trout but on the indicator and no second hits afterwards.

Since I did not get many hits I had to take drastic measures and use the mopfly.
To my surprise that yielded two dace.
Also deployed the squirmy and had some takes of dace.
Talked shop with one of my friends who was also fishing the same water and heard the tales of slow to no action.
Called it a day in the afternoon for lunch.

Germany 08-03-2026

Germany 08-03-2026

I had not been out a lot lately due to cold weather and the first session of the year ended in a blank.
The second session also seemed to go that way as I could not see any fish moving.
It was still early and a week of high temperatures was still not a guarantee that fish would be moving as
nature needed time to awaken.

This time I did catch a fish though, managed an out of season trout and boy it was a big one.
Since I was fishing for shiners the tippet was light so I had to take care to fight that trout
but it all worked out in the end.

Some of my friends where also out on the stream and noticed the same absence of fish.
With nothing going on in the water I opted for a pub session which was pleasant as usual.

HSK 10-2025

HSK 10-2025

We’ll, I mentioned in my previous HSK report I would do a re-run of the trip if possible.
So I talked to my supervisor at work to get some more time off which was no problem
as it was quiet on the project front.

I opted for the last week of the trout season in Germany, closing oct. 20th.
In the distant past the river I intended to fish would be open after that date
due to the fact that grayling where present.
The grayling season extends normally over the winter but alas not anymore on that stream.

Since the fishing had been slow during the past visit I opted not to buy day tickets for
my travel days .. too expensive for what was offered in my view.
My goal for this trip where to catch some grayling and take pictures of the fall colors.

Since I arrived early on my first day I decided to hike to the viewpoint on top of the hills.
I was not exactly well prepared as I had (in hindsight) the wrong coordinates and 
got lost early in my hike … luckily I crossed a hunter who directed me in the right way.
As I went farther and farther up the hill I noticed lots of signs of wild boar tearing
up the soil next to the path.

I was up on the ridge in a pretty dark part of the forest when I heard something
moving in the forest.
The path I was on looked less travelled and it seemed to dead end so I got my
bearing and finally got the correct coordinates for the viewpoint.
Turned out I walked past it as I took a wrong turn.

The fishing, well as previously quite tough … although it had rained the waterlevel
had hardly risen. With the algae bloom ended the water was clear and littered with leaves.
Still the grayling bite was a lot better than a month before and I caught some nice fish.
The brown trout was bite was not as good, had difficulty finding fish and I
did not expect that at the end of the season the fishing club would be stocking new fish.

Having said that I did manage to catch some nice fish and my pb for brown trout.
That pb fish came on a dry fly in a very shallow part of the stream.
I had learned not to ignore the shallows and long casts with sedge pattern often
delivered fish from places I would normally pass.
The weather was usually pretty drab, light rain and fog  – overcast – low temps.

On my last fishing day the sun came out and a lot of sedges started to fly.
As it was in the weekend all day tickets had been sold out so fisherman where
everywhere and many spots had already been ploughed trough.
With no fish in the deeper pools my last chance of a good fish was the shallows
and just by luck I spotted a rising grayling and could nail it ending the trip
on a positive note.

 

Germany 21-09-2025

Germany 21-09-2025

A day later, same water but different weather conditions.
Within a day we went from warm and sunny to wet and windy.
The temperature kept falling during the day and wind kept increasing in force.
I was on-site at daybreak and the only fisherman around.

I had hoped to get instant hits but fishing was extremely slow.
Early morning some fish where active and now and then I could see rainbow trout
moving past me. I hooked two fish who skillfully jumped and threw the barbless hook.
I then tried to concentrate on any dace or rudd but nothing hit the fly.

My last resort to get any bites was to fish the deepest part of the mill pool right under the weir.
Fishing a nymph very deep worked for a while and after a roach I finally landed two rainbow trout.
As the day progressed however the bites stopped and whatever I tried failed to get fish.

Although I anticipated the weather change the strong wind did cool me down more than expected.
So late in the afternoon I decided to take a break and get something to eat and drink.
The comforts of the pub and the fact that it was already late kept me from returning to fish.
Have to say I still prefer the flowing stream to the mill pond.

Germany 20-09-2025

Germany 20-09-2025

The annual fisher king contest … well, I failed again catching a single trout.
Off course fishing in the most shallow part of the mill pool especially in
these times of low water mean you are without a chance if you flyfish.
Best spots as always the deepest parts of the mill pool under the weir.

In the morning session at the river I was amazed how low the water level was.
Only a trickle flowed and without any deep spots you could only get small dace
and gudgeons.

The afternoon session in the mill pool a waste of time as usual.
With some higher water you would have a chance to find trout in the shallows but
on this day even the shiners where absent.
Still a perfect day weatherwise, very warm and lots of sunshine.
So on this day only dace, rudd and gudgeons for me.

Germany – HSK 08-2025

Germany – HSK 08-2025

Had not much to do at work so I decided a road trip might be in order.
Arranged time off, got the location sorted and went on my way.
Turned out to be a very tough trip fishing wise as the promised rain didn’t came
and the river was on the absolute low point with hardly any flow.
Still, I caught some fish and had a very good time being out and about.

Might try for a second trip before the trout season runs out.
Still have to to better with the big grayling… they eluded me.

 

Germany 10-08-2025

Germany 10-08-2025

I finally found some motivation to visit the chub section.
First stop was along en route to the places I wanted to fish.
Water clarity was pretty poor despite the low water level, nothing to be had.

At the first major bridge I crossed I peeked down hoping to see any fish moving
but again low visibility and no fish.
So I continued straight to the feeder streamer where the fish kills happened to see if the
spill upstream had effected the fish at the stretch I fished.

At the feeder stream you could see how low the water actually was, just inches of water.
I caught some small chub but soon was on the road again looking for greener pastures.
The next hotspot was near a bridge were you could usually see lots of fish.
A peak from the bridge showed some very big chub moving about.

When I tried fishing from the bank the big chub submerged, again spotted.
My last hope for the big one was an open stretch with a mixed bottom of
sand and weeds. Tricky to get any fish but usually big ones present in numbers.
There where big fish around but the combination of high banks, small and shallow stream did not

A change from sedge to hopper did the trick in the end.
I finally found a proper chub on feeding station in the surface.
That fish took the hopper with gusto from the surface and I could actually land it.
It was midday, terribly hot so I called it a day and rested at a pub enjoying a few cold ones.

Germany, 19-07-2025

Germany, 19-07-2025

This was the first session on the stream since my return from the USA.
I had already gotten a warning about how low the stream was and boy it was certainly low.
Since it would be a hot day I left early and was at the water on time.

When I stepped into the remaining stream I had planned to fish a deeper spot downstream.
What I did not expect was to encounter a fish in the shallow water in front of the pool.
So the first fish of the day was scared away, one of many.

I dropped a nymph in the deep pool and soon was rewarded by a bite.
A solid hit by a nice rainbow trout which I suspected was the fish I scared away.
I checked out some other spots nearby and actually had hits on a dry fly from small dace.

When I returned to my starting point I noticed a trout again in the shallows.
It was clearly a brown trout so that was the fish I spooked right at the beginning.
With the water being so shallow I opted to change to a dry fly as not to scare the fish.
That did not help though … scared away the second time.

I checked out many other spots on the stream but the low water made it tough.
Approach fishing without spooking them was difficult.
Still I had plenty of hits from roach, rudd, dace and the odd gudgeon.
I even had a large perch chasing one of the roach I caught.

The low water meant that you had to fish many spots with deadfalls and debris
as the fish where hiding there.
It also meant losing a lot of flies by getting hung up in the rootwork and debris.

Late in the afternoon the heat reminded me that not taking anything to drink with me
was a foolish decision.
I called it a day and went to one of the local restaurants for something to drink and eat.

The hot weather reminded me also that the season was slowly slipping away and I
had not even been on a proper chub session.
So I chub session is called for in the near future when the weather conditions allow it.